Vegan MoFo Day 4: More Gadgetry!

Behold the mighty bean frencher! I love french-cut green beans, but I am not a fan of the slow and annoying process of slicing them by hand. A bean frencher makes short work of this task - and it is a small and inexpensive item. I'm not sure it can do anything other than cut green beans, but if you have discovered multitasking potential in this gadget, let me know.

I usually steam the beans, and serve them with toasted slivered almonds, and you cannot go wrong with that approach. However, a friend recently introduced me to a Dutch recipe called blote billetjes in het gras (naked bottoms in the grass). It's very simple and pleasing in a comfort food way: Boil the french cut green beans with an equal weight of chopped potatoes. Drain and mash with a little nondairy milk and vegan margarine. Add salt and nutmeg to taste, and stir in some cooked white beans (these are the bottoms). For 8 oz of green beans and 8 oz of potatoes, a 15 oz can of white beans (drained and rinsed) is about right. Easy!